Jonathan (son of Abiathar)

Biblical Account

Jonathan was the son of Abiathar, a priest in the time of David. He is distinct from Saul's son Jonathan and from the other men named Jonathan in the Bible. The only deeds recorded of him involve carrying news during two political upheavals.

Absalom's Rebellion

When Absalom rebelled and David left Jerusalem, the priests Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of the covenant and followed the king. David sent the ark back to the city and had Ahimaaz son of Zadok and Jonathan son of Abiathar return with it. He intended for the two young men to relay news from within the city to him (2 Samuel 15:27, 15:36).

Later, David's friend Hushai informed the priests of the plans of Absalom's camp. To avoid being seen, Jonathan and Ahimaaz did not enter the city but stayed near En-rogel, where a maidservant brought them the news. A lad saw them, however, and reported them to Absalom. The two fled to the house of a man in Bahurim and hid in a well in his courtyard. The woman of the house spread a covering over the mouth of the well and scattered ground grain on it to conceal the hiding place. When Absalom's servants came and questioned her, she told them that the two had gone over the brook, and the servants returned without finding them. The two men then climbed out of the well and delivered the news to David, and David and his company crossed the Jordan River that night (2 Samuel 17:15-22).

Adonijah's Bid for the Throne

In David's last years, when Adonijah held a feast in an attempt to make himself king, Abiathar, together with Joab, sided with Adonijah (1 Kings 1:7). While the feast was at its height, Jonathan arrived, and Adonijah welcomed him, expecting good news. The news Jonathan brought, however, was that David had made Solomon king, that Zadok and Nathan had anointed him at Gihon, and that Solomon was already seated on the throne. On hearing this, Adonijah's guests were afraid and dispersed (1 Kings 1:41-49). The Bible contains no further record of Jonathan.

Significance in Scripture

Jonathan appears as a bearer of information at two moments of crisis for the Davidic dynasty. In the first episode he stood on David's side; in the second he brought decisive news to the camp of Adonijah, whom his father supported. After his accession, Solomon removed Abiathar from the priesthood and sent him to Anathoth, and 1 Kings records this as the fulfillment of the word spoken concerning the house of Eli (1 Kings 2:26-27). The New Testament does not mention Jonathan, though his father Abiathar is named in Mark 2:26.

Interpretations and Questions

• Some interpreters compare the scene in which the two men hide in a well while a woman sends their pursuers elsewhere with the story of Rahab, who hid the spies at Jericho.
• The text does not say whether Jonathan directly took part in Adonijah's attempt on the throne or what became of him after Solomon's accession.
• Care is needed not to confuse him with others named Jonathan, particularly Saul's son Jonathan.